Mein Herz Brennt
by NineTailedAngel
Summary: Chap. 8 Up! : Inside Kai, Dranzer, the Holy Phoenix, is in an eternal battle with Suzaku, the Wicked Phoenix. But there can never be two Phoenixes, One must win and One must fall...Can Rei help him before it's to late? : Kai/Rei : Tala/Bryan : Tyson/Max
1. Invatation

I know I have no right to upload a new fic when I have like, fifty others to finish XP But this one I wrote during the time the site was down, and its only a few pages, max three to five, depends on how I want to split it up. I got an idea about a few parts of the fic while at work , it wouldn't leave my head, the rest just flowed to hold it all together like mortar does tiles. I know I already have a 'dance' fic going on with Masquerade, but this one will be shorter and way different, I swear. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade. If I did, the world would know it *snicker* Tala and Bryan would be together, Kai and Rei would be too, and the series would be turned into animated versions of my fics.

"blah" - talk

'_blah_' – think

_blah _- sound effects

Pairings-

Kai x Rei

Tyson x Max

Tala x Bryan

Enjoy~

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"But Kaaaaaaaaaai!"

"No."

"Pleeeeeease? Why can't we go?" Kai gritted his teeth, rubbing his temples in annoyance. He was trying to think about some very important things, and Max was here to annoy him again. He had been hounding him day and night for a week to go to a party Tala was holding. Why the hell _Tala_ was holding a party, and why the hell he would bother to invite the brats, was far beyond him. Why was he back in Russia, anyway? Oh right, that stupid tournament. And since he refused to go anywhere near his grandfather's house until it was finished being cleaned out and well, de-Voltaired, he had rented a hotel penthouse suite for them all. Stupid hotel. Oh, he wasn't complaining about the cost, far from it, even if it cost him over five hundred thousand rubles a week, because his bedroom was well away from the other three. It gave him privacy, well, until he exited his room, that is...

"Because, we have no time for-"

"ALLLLLLRIIIIIGHT! Time to PAR-TAY!" Growling deep in his throat, Kai turned his raging crimson eyes on the person who dared yell in his ear.

"Tyson."

"What up, dude?"

"For screaming in my ear....go climb 20 flights of stairs and back." Tyson's jaw dropped open.

"But..But...It's dinnertime! And It's so cold! I'll faint before I even get up one flight!"

"Not my problem."

"But, I'll miss dinner!"

"THIRTY flights. GO." A snarl that backgrounded his tone told Tyson there would be no arguing. A look of sadness landed on Tyson's face.

"I'll go with you, Tyson, I'll make sure you don't faint, hahaha!" Max chirped up, smiling at the perked up look on Tyson's face. "And I'm sure Rei will save us some dinner, he's not mean and grouchy like Kai! I'll race you, Tyson!" Having resumed his 'lean-against-the-wall-and close-eyes-and-look-badass' pose earlier, his eyes snapped open, glaring daggers at the two bladers running from him. Why did he always stick around this team? Really, didn't he learn his punishment enough everyday?

"Ah, Kai, there you are." And here was the reason.

"Can you help me put away the groceries? And where are Tyson and Max?" Rei asked, turning his amber eyes onto Kai once he spotted him against the wall.

"Hn. Tyson mouthed off, he's off running laps. And Max decided to run them with him." Rei chuckled softly, shaking his head.

"That Tyson. He's so dense." Kai cracked one crimson eye to look at the Tiger Blader.

"You've never noticed? He's so stupid, he makes a rock look like Einstein." Another soft laugh from Rei.

"And you don't notice it either."

"Notice what?" Rei walked away with an amused smile on his lips, shaking his head, motioning Kai to follow him to the kitchen.

"It's something you have to feel before you truly know what it is, Kai."

"Hn." Smiling, Rei put the cartons of eggs in the fridge, standing up and grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge, gulping it down.

"Ah, better. Will you help me fix dinner, too, Kai? It is so cold, so there is a new soup recipe I want to try. Max usually helps, but he is off with Tyson."

"Whatever."

"You are such a sourpuss, Kai." Rei teased, grabbing a red apron and tossing it to Kai, grabbing a dark green apron for himself. After an incident involving pancakes, syrups, and many other sticky messy things, Rei had taken it upon himself to get every team member an apron, so the next time it was laundry day, his good white shirts hopefully wouldn't get ruined by all the syrup stuck in the washer. Thank gods Kai did his own clothing separate, or they would all have had hell to pay. "And always such a loner. Don't you hate being alone all the time?"

"If only you ever knew, Rei..." Kai muttered softly, so Rei couldn't hear, even with his good hearing, because he was busy humming a tune to himself as he picked out a recipe card from the box on the counter.

"Ah, here we go. Ham and potato soup. Pretty simple, I think. Kai, you can do this..." Rei leaned over Kai, pointing out different parts of the recipe and how to do it. Kai was listening carefully, but part of him just blanked out, intoxicated by the Tiger's smell. It was hard to describe...but he knew it drove that part of him insane. He reached his hand out to lightly touch Rei's hair; it was loosely braided, wet because of the rain that was falling when he had arrived home. Rei's sudden movement to go find the pot he needed, however, made him whip his hand back to himself instantly. He cursed himself inwardly for his stupidity, and moved to help Rei cook dinner, not seeing inquisitive amber eyes peering at him.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Oh my god, Rei, that was fabulous." Tyson sighed, leaning back in his chair.

"Looks like you really like Rei's cooking Tyson, that was your tenth bowl!" Max replied, laughing as he finished his third. "It really is good though. Rei."

"Thanks, Maxie. So, what's this I hear about a Party? I found this on the counter when I came in this morning." Rei pointed to a small card the size of a CD case, made of thick, cream colored paper, with and written inside with sapphire blue ink in both Russian and English. On the cover was a beautifully drawn tribal wolf face.

"Tala invited us to a party he's hosting. At least, that's what the English says. For all we know the Russian says something else."

"Tala? Tala _Ivanov_ is inviting us to a party?" Rei said arched an eyebrow, taking a sip of his tea.

"Yep, and it's some sort of costume party, too. It's only a week away! We need too-"

"I never agreed to let any of you go. The next tournament is coming up fast, and you guys aren't even close to being ready."

"You never let us do anything fun." Max pouted, crossing his arms. Something in Kai snapped.

"What the fuck!" Kai snarled, slamming his hands on the table, setting glasses and bowls crashing to the floor, his eyes flaming as he looked at Max. "Who the hell do you guys think I am, just some babysitter? I don't even know why I'm still here! All I hear in whining, whining, and more whining, about all sorts of stupid things, which wastes time and energy you could be using on getting better! God, I can hardly get you guys up in the morning, and that just wastes even more time-"

"Kai, stop being so damned mean! Don't yell at Max!" Tyson looked ready to flip, trying to calm down a beaten-puppy looking Max. Kai whipped his gaze to Tyson. Kai turned his fiery gaze to Tyson.

"Listen here, you fa-"

"Stop it, all of you." Rei stood up, his eyes flashing, halting any more arguing. "Tyson, go take Maxie to you guys' room, okay? I'll be up in a bit." Tyson glared at Kai, leading a sniffling Max upstairs. When they were gone, Rei turned to Kai, who had gotten up to lean against the window, looking out at the cold, snowy landscape.

"I know they get to you, but you can't be so mean to them, Kai. They have been working hard, we all have. So what is a little fun?" His tone was stern, but not mean or condescending. "I also know you aren't very social to begin with, Kai, and I do understand that. What I can't understand is why you are suddenly having such an attitude, especially with us. We're a team, Kai. We should act like one." Rei went over, putting his hand on Kai's shoulder. "Are you okay, Kai? You can always tell me anything you know that." Kai looked down into Rei's amber eyes, which shone with concern. Rei watched as Kai's face twisted into some expression he could not read before he tore away, walking fast to his room at the end of the hall. Rei sighed, and began to pick up the mess of dinner.

_~*~*~*~*~*~_

_"Pathetic....Me, Kai Hiwatari...cowering at the mere feeling of an emotion I should have no right to have, or be able to even feel..." _Kai was laying on his back on top of his made bed, feeling little better after his shower, now wearing only a pair of black silk sleeping pants. His arms were crossed over his head, blocking out the glare from his clock, the only light in the room. He smirked. It was so ironic...He was so strong physically, damn near immortal with all the experiments done on him in the abbey...yet, emotionally, he was so weak...

_Knock, knock._ A soft knocking on his door brought him out of his reverie. Kai sighed, not wanting to get up, but he went to his door anyway, something telling him he had too. Running his hand through his hair as he looked around, seeing no one. He was about to go back in his room, when he noticed something on the floor...

_~*~*~*~*~*~_

"Please don't be mad at Kai, Tyson."

"By why not? He's been such an ass to us lately, I thought we broke him of that habit." Tyson grumbled, dunking a dragon shaped chocolate cookie in his cocoa. In order to cheer the group up, Rei had made his famous cookies, each of the four batches he had made being different. Max had sugar cookies in the shape of turtles, and combined with Rei's special hot cocoa with marshmallows, whipped cream, and rainbow sprinkles, he was back to his happy cheerful self in no time, and was now snoring lightly upstairs in his bed, his sugar high worn off.

"He was getting better at talking to us, I give him that, but then he suddenly changed. What's the deal?" Rei smiled softly.

"He just has a lot of things on his shoulders right now, Tyson. With all the stuff about the tournament and his grandfather. It all just piled up most likely, and he is just trying to get rid of some stress. Just give him some time, okay?"

"If you say so, Rei. He still shouldn't have yelled to poor Max." Sighing, Tyson went to take a long sip of cocoa.

"Tyson, really. Just tell him you love him already." Tyson turned red, choking on his cocoa.

"It's that obvious?" Rei laughed softy, pouring himself another cup of tea.

"More obvious then the fact the sky is blue."

"But Rei, I don't even know if-" Rei rolled his eyes.

"Tyson...Max a_dores y_ou." He said, lightly slapping Tyson's head in tune with the last three words. "I know so. Trust me. My aunt is the Matchmaker back in my village, so I know how to tell a good pair when I see one." Tyson rubbed his head, looking sheepish.

"But how should I tell him?"

"You will know when, Tyson. It will feel right." Rei said with a small knowing smile. "You should go to bed, though. It's getting late. And we have to be up at the crack of dawn to train."

"But I'm not slee-" A large yawn interrupted the Dragon's argument. "Jeeze, Rei, what the hell is in this cocoa? It's like a sedative."

"Can't tell, ancient Chinese secret." Rei said, winking and they both laughed.

"Well, Night Rei. Thanks for everything."

"No problem, Tyson." Soon Rei was alone again. He sighed, and picked up an almond flavored tiger shaped cookie, nibbling at it, while looking off out the window at the rapidly darkening sky, filling with stars as if someone had spilled glitter all along it. Finishing his cookie, he sipped his tea, unaware of a pair of eyes watching him.

~*~*~*~*~

Kai made sure his steps were quiet, yet were able to be heard by the Neko-jinn. The last time someone snuck up on Rei, it wasn't very pretty...the guy had spent two weeks in the hospital. It was the few times in his life he was glad he was a Hiwatari and had money and influence to shut people up. Pointy ears twitched, causing Rei to turn his head to to the Phoenix. But didn't say a word, just smiled, the smile getting wider when he noticed a cookie and a mug of cocoa in Kai's hands as he sat across from Rei.

"Thanks."

"It was nothing, Kai." Kai bit his cookie, a cinnamon-gingersnap shaped like a phoenix. It was good, he had to admit, and his favorite. Rei was always such a good cook...and housekeeper, and nursemaid for when they were sick...he had to face it, without Rei, they'd be lost. He did so much, never letting one complaint slip past his lips, always cheerful, never asking for anything in return.

"You should be in bed." Rei yawned, his pearly fangs glinting, his hands brushing through his bangs.

"I was just finishing up my tea. I'll go now. Goodnight, Kai. You should sleep too. Don't stay up to late, okay?"

"Hn. I'll be up soon."A tanned hand rested on his shoulder, which tensed up underneath the touch, no matter how hard Kai tried to suppress it it. A soft sigh escaped Rei, his loose hair brushing against Kai's bare torso before he vanished up the stairs too. Left alone to his thoughts that were dangerously going into territory Kai did not want to go in, he sighed, getting up to put his mug in the sink before turning to go upstairs as well.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kai growled, shoving his head deeper into his pillow. He just woke up, earlier then planned; about 3 hours earlier. And why? He couldn't stop thinking about Rei... _and he was too hot. _A snarl ripped from his throat as he sat up in his bed, his eyes fiery in the dark. He was the fucking _phoenix_, for god's sake. He could withstand any fire wearing nothing more then his regular clothes, while others would have to wear special suits. He stormed his way into the bathroom, turned on the coldest shower he could get, and stood under the freezing spray. He leaned his head back against the cold tile, his eyes closed, letting the water pour over him. He stood there for what seemed to him like a half hour, _but the heat was still there. Realization_ dawned on him moments later, when he realized it wasn't heat as in fire or flame or fever, but something a little more....personal. A faint growl escaped his clenched teeth.

"...Fuck."

~*~*~*~*~*~*

Weeeeeell, what do you all think? I decided to split the fic here, as I need to go to bed now to get up for work in the morning XP Hehehehe, seems Kai's got a problem!

Please review, they make me happy :D~


	2. Confliction

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade. If I did, the world would know it *snicker* Tala and Bryan would be together, Kai and Rei would be too, and the series would be turned into animated versions of my fics.

"blah" - talk

'_blah_' – think

_blah _- sound effects

Pairings-

Kai x Rei

Tyson x Max

Tala x Bryan

Enjoy~ :3

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Tyson move that fat ass of yours or I'll burn it!" Kai snarled, watching the Dragon lagging behind. Tyson groaned, trying to get up after falling on the ground, his legs like jelly. The last time he hadn't taken the threat seriously, he couldn't sit for weeks.

"Oh come on, Kai, you've been making us run for a hour straight!"

"Yeah, Kai, we're trying! Can't we please have a break?" Max panted, stopping to rest his hands on his knees.

"No! Now move it!"

"Goddammit, Kai, we're already at our limits!" He flinched when Kai's eyes turned to him. Something was flickering in them, a fire that Tyson had never seen before.

"Limits? You complain to me about limits? I've seen you demolish a whole buffet table in one pass. Take that energy you have and put it towards running!" Tyson whimpered, feeling Kai's steel toed boots press onto his stomach, hearing the Phoenix's mad laughs.

"Kai, cut it out!" Max tried to pull Kai off Tyson, but merely got knocked back onto the ground, landing on his backside with a _whump_. Max felt his eyes fill with tears as he watched Tyson get kicked in the stomach. He knew no one could stop Kai, except one person, and Max prayed he would come quickly...

"REEEEEEEEEEEI!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"What the hell was up with Kai? Thank God you found Rei in time, Maxie. I thought I would have been a goner for sure. Then I couldn't break in that new buffet place near the stadium." Max tried to stifle a laugh. That was his Tyson for you. Tyson groaned, wincing in pain as Max dabbed antiseptic into the cuts on his stomach.

"Sorry Tyson, but if you don't clean this up it could get infected." Tyson looked at Max, who seemed intent not to sniffle as he tried to find another cotton ball. The cuts were long, but not to deep thankfully; It was mostly bruising that Tyson would feel for a while. Swiping another layer of antiseptic on the cuts, Max began bandaging his friend's wounds, thinking about the events that happened only minutes earlier. Rei had come running, his amber eyes wide in shock as he beheld Kai laughing while kicking the Dragon blader repeatedly in the stomach. Kai stopped his kicking of Tyson when he heard Rei call out his name, turning his fiery eyes on the tiger blader. Calling out his name again, Rei then pulled Kai off of Tyson. Kai seemed to come out a daze, shaking his head slowly, walking back to the hotel, leaving them all very, very confused.

"There, all done." Max chirped, although not as cheerful as usual. Tyson cocked his head, eying the Turtle.

"You okay, dude?" Max wanted to smile and nod, but found his eyes filling with tears again as his smile wavered. He flung himself on Tyson.

"I though you were going to die!" Tyson blinked, patting Max's back. "Kai looked really crazy. He could have killed you!"

"I'm still here, dude." Max sniffled. Tyson laughed, wiping Max's tears away. "Maxie, I'm not going to die when Kai is having some sort of PMS." Max looked up with him with those big blue watery eyes, and Tyson felt the urge to just pull Max into his lap. So he did, earning a small squeal

"And people say _I _make a good pig." He said, earning a whack upside his head from a giggling Max.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Kai, what were you thinking? What the hell was going on in your head? You could have killed him!"

"Hn." He didn't know what came over him, but one minute he was telling Tyson to hurry up, the next, Rei was calling his name and dragging him away from beating the dragon to the ground. "I already said sorry."

"Kai, something is wrong. You say there isn't but I know there is. You've been so much moody then normal, you've been acting weird, and now, you almost kill your own teammate!" Kai could just hear the panic rising in the Tiger's voice.

"If I've told you a thousand times that nothing is wrong, why would time one thousand and one be any different? Nothing is wrong with me!" Rei slumped into the chair across Kai, wincing at the vicious snarl in the Phoenix's tone.

"Oh Kai, I just want you to talk to me..." Kai raised his head at the sadness in the Tiger's tone. He soon wished he hadn't, for the tears in in those amber orbs hurt him more then a thousand knives ever could. A growl rose in his throat, his eyes flaring up as he tossed the table over, sending it crashing to the floor. He reached over and grabbed Rei by his neck with one hand, hoisting him in the air and slammed him into the wall. Rei's eyes widened with fear as he felt the hand tighten around his neck. Digging his nails into Kai's arm, he struggled, his whimpers becoming more and more strangled.

"Kai...please..." His vision blurred by tears and the lack of air, he barely saw two figures running and pulling Kai off of him before he blacked out.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"ZHOPA! You stupid fucking idiot!" Icy blue eyes flashed dangerously. "You KNOW better then to let it consume you that badly!" Kai laid in his bed, arms covering his face, not saying a word nor moving an inch.

"It's becoming harder to control, Tala." Tala sighed, crossing his arms, going to sit in the bed next to Kai..

"You are so fucking lucky we came when we did." Tala glanced at the blunette. "Or you would have his blood on your hands, Kai. Forever."

"How is he?"

"Bryan's got him stable. He doesn't look to hurt, he'll just have a major headache and some bruising when he gets up." The smallest of sighs escaped Kai's lips.

"Kai, this can't go on any longer. If it doesn't happen soon, then I do fear for your team."

"What the hell can I do, Tala!" Kai snarled. "I'm trying, but dammit it's becoming stronger! He's in my thoughts when I'm awake, my dreams when I try to sleep! I can't get him out of my mind!"

"Well, Kai, make your choice soon. You know that on the eve of your 18th birthday that-"

"KAAAAAI!" Tyson barged into the room, a look of panic on his face. "We are being invaded by crazy ass Russians, Bryan's back and he's gonna kill Rei again, he's already working on killing him now-" He noticed Tala in the room, who just gave a little wave. Tyson's eyes widened, his mouth open to yell the alarm when he felt a sharp blade press to his throat, making him go quiet.

"Shut up, you stupid idiot, before you wake up Rei." Bryan hissed in his ear. "If you do, then you will understand the _true_ meaning of 'Crazy Russian'... got it?" Tyson merely nodded slowly, paralyzed by fear.

"Why _are_ you guys here, then? And what's wrong with Rei?"

"Tyson, drop it-"

"Now now, Kai, don't be so rude." Tala grinned, sliding over to stand in front of Tyson.. "We are merely here to help you guys about the party I'm holding. Kai just told me how hard you guys were training, and how you deserved a break." Tyson blinked, looking into Tala's icy eyes. He wanted to say how Kai would never give them break, so this was all fake...but, looking into those eyes, everything faded, and he merely nodded, walking out of the room and shutting the door. Tala sighed, a huge psychotic grin flowing into his face.

"Still got it!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rei groaned, sitting up in his bed, running a hand through his bangs, a roaring ache pulsing though his poor head. What was he doing in bed? Kai would-

_Kai._ His eyes widened, remembering the previous days events. He felt tears sting his eyes, so he closed them, trying so hard to hold them back. He stifled soft sobs, crawling back into his blankets, curling up in a tight ball, the ache in his heart more powerful then the ache in his head. Kai had tried to kill him.

"Rei?" A soft voice called. "Are you awake?" Rei didn't move when someone sat on his bed, and pulled away the covers from his head. "Rei...he didn't mean it."

"H-he...tried to kill me...I just want to help him, Bryan." The falcon sighed. Sure, he had tried to kill Rei once, but once Biovolt went under, and he had his brain chip removed, he and the Tiger started a pretty good friendship.

"Rei, he didn't mean it. He's...not very well."

"He's sick?" Bryan smirked inwardly. That was one way to put it...If only you knew, Rei.

"Well, sort of. It's really hard to explain, and I can't tell you about it yet. Just please, forgive Kai." Rei slowly opened his eyes, letting crystalline tears fall.

"What if he tries it again? I don't want the team to break apart, I don't want to loose another family..." Bryan reached out a hand to rub the tiger's back. He knew about Rei's parents, and then what happened with his village and his old team when they found out that Rei wasn't exactly all ready to marry Mariah, because of one certain detail...

"I don't want to lose him most of all, Bryan...I love him too much..." Bryan just rubbed Rei's back, making soothing sounds as Rei cried himself back to sleep. Bryan, sure the Tiger was sleeping peacefully, got up, turning to the right as he walked out of the room, watching Kai slide to the floor, his eyes wide open, his hands clutching his head.

"Make your choice, Kai. You have only until midnight tomorrow to decide."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

97 hits, yet only 1 review? :( Makes me sad. Even a small comment like, "Great story" makes me feel like people are liking my work, and its worth it to continue. Constructive criticism and direction is fabulous and will net you cookies and cupcakes and Beyblade plushes.

But back to the story. I swear, my hands typed this out themselves. x_x I'm sorry it's so short, but I don't want to give anymore away just yet :P


	3. Confession

Ah, it seems this is coming out to be a bit more then just a little one shot, eh? *laughs*

Many thanks to everyone who reviewed and favorite-d me and my story :D *hands out gift bags chock full of goodies* You make me all so happy, when after a long hard day working, I get emails seeing how people love my stories I work so hard on. Sorry this chappy took a bit longer to get out, life is so busy :P

For those with questions, never fear, all will be reveled soon! I hope I do not disappoint anyone with how this story is turning out!

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade. If I did, the world would know it *snicker* Tala and Bryan would be together, Kai and Rei would be too, and the series would be turned into animated versions of my fics. I also do not earn any songs or movies or anything else like that in this fic. I am a poor collage student, if I had money, it would go to paying off my loans XP

"blah" - talk

'_blah_' – think

_blah _- sound effects

Pairings-

Kai x Rei

Tyson x Max

Tala x Bryan

Enjoy~ :3

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tyson yawned, stretching his arms above his head, wincing when he heard his back crack loudly. He scratched his head, looking at the clock, groaning.

"To early..." he muttered, going to roll over to go back to sleep, only to be met with blue eyes an inch from his face. "Gah!" Tyson yelled, rolling back and off the bed, landing with a very loud thump on the floor.

"Hehehehehe, morning Tyson!" Max laughed, getting up to help Tyson untangle himself from the blankets and to get up off the floor. Tyson found Max's laugh infection, but soon flinched, holding his side.

"Ow!" Max, a worried look in his eyes, pulled up Tyson's shirt, wincing in sympathy. Three large bruises littered Tyson's stomach, the various cuts either being scabbed over or were still bleeding. He gently touched the bruised skin, careful not to press to hard.

"Well, you are healing quite good, Tyson." Tyson froze, trying to comprehend the situation. Max had just pulled up his shirt. And it didn't help Max was sitting between his legs. And wearing nothing but a shirt three sizes too big over a pair of somewhat too small shorts.

"Uh...Max?" Max looked up. Tyson wanted to just pull Max into his arms and just...No, nooooo, bad Tyson...Bad!

"Yeah?" Tyson gulped. He needed to get Max the hell out between his legs. Fast.

"Can you go get me some aspirin?"

"Sure, Tys." Tyson sighed in relief, clamping his legs together, arranging the blankets around him, when a cup of water and two white pills appeared in two hands before him. Downing the water after the pills, he looked at Max, who had taken to sitting upside down on the edge of the bed, the shirt riding up. Tyson looked back to his glass, sure a faint blush reached his cheeks. Max had twisted on his back so he was on his stomach, and cocked his head to peer at the Dragon, a smile on his face. Oh, he had felt Tyson 'waking up' so to speak. He laughed inwardly. For all his ego, Tyson sure was shy about certain things.

"Hey Tyson-" Tyson lifted his head up in time to have his lips claimed by the blonde, who was still smiling. "Good Morning." He said, winking at the other's red, red face.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Bryan?" Tala came over and laid a hand on the pale boy's shoulder. Bryan had been stairing out the window to the sky for a few hours now at a red star glowed brightly in the dawn sky...It had appeared almost 18 years ago, an omen of death...or rebirth?

"It's coming, Tala..."

"I know, love. And there is nothing we can do about it. It's all up to Rei, now...or we will all suffer if he fails..."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rei sighed heavily, dragging himself out of bed and into the shower. He just wanted to sleep, to sleep forever and ever, never to wake back up to the horror of a a reality he was in now. But, that would be selfish of him...There was still Tyson, who couldn't cook at all, to Maxie, who if left alone, would eat nothing but sugar, a small smile gracing his lips at the thought. They would expect breakfast soon, like always, and he had no right to deny them regularity. And, cooking might help him forget...Rei sighed, undressing and stepping into the spray, letting the warmth seep into his body. He started sliding his fingers through his long hair, wincing at tangles. He looked around for his conditioner, one that would always smooth out the snarls and tangles. Spotting it, he lathered it onto his hair, feeling calmer by the routine. Rei closed his eyes, and began to sing...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kai was restless, tossing and turning in his bed. He could feel the beasts within him battling, rattling the thinning, straining chains that were holding them back, roaring to be released. He panted, gripping the sheets soaked in his sweat...his breaths ragged, he bit back a snarl, his pupils dilating.

_"Come now, Kai...surely you didn't think it was an accident..." _A silky voice whispered through his head. _"You want to feast on such an...exotic...little creature, to taint his light and turn his pure heart as black as your own..." _

_"You are wrong! I would never-" _Kai clutched his head, covered in sweat, the fever raging in him as he was locked in a mental nightmare.

_"Oh, but look at what you have already done...now he will hate you, he will never want one so evil as yourself."_

_"But he said he loved me..." _The voice snorted.

_"Ha! Mortal emotions...I care little for them. He shall abandon you like all the others, once he discovers what a monster you really are! Feel the pain of being forever alone, the only one of your kind!" _Kai bit back more snarls that rose to his throat, pain shooting through his shoulder blades and feeling as if liquid fire was in his veins. Gritting his teeth to keep from screaming, his ears picked up a faint sound...one he knew, that was comforting, calming the beasts within so he was no longer struggling to keep control...

_~*~*~*~*~_

"_And I have seen  
Darker than ebony_

_And now it seems that I  
With out your eyes could never be..." _

This song spoke volumes to Rei...how he loved Kai's eyes, they were like faceted garnets...or pools of blood, when he was feeling particularly morbid. Eyes that held so much mystery...Rei sighed, having washed out all the conditioner out of his hair. Shutting off the water, he let his singing to express everything he knew he hadn't the guts to really say.

"_My one desire  
All I aspire is in your eyes  
Forever to live  
Traveled all over the seven oceans  
__There is nothing that I wouldn't give  
Came from Bahrain  
Got to Beirut  
Looking for someone  
Comparing to you  
Tearing down windows and doors  
And I could not find eyes like yours..._"

Dressed in his black pants and white Chinese shirt, he started to comb his hair, walking into his room, eyes closed as he tried to find the nastiest tangle first. Rei felt something grab his hair and arm lightly, making him fall down onto his bed, open his eyes, and make a small sound of surprise as he felt strong hands take the comb out of his hands, and begin to work out the tangles in his hair. He tried to see what entrapped him, only to be stopped by strong legs and arms, and a voice whispering in his ear.

"Keep singing, Rei...Please..."

"Kai...?" Rei whispered, confused.

"Please, sing to me, or he will come back..."

"Who, Kai..." Kai looked away, unwilling to divulge any more, keeping his long nimble fingers busy by combing Rei's hair smooth, until it shone like a silk waterfall down his tanned back, flowing all over his lap and Rei's legs. Rei twisted in Kai's lap, so he was straddling him, holding the phoenix to him as he felt the other boy shake, his body temperature unnaturaly high.

"Suzaku..." Kai whispered, shutting his eyes as if the evil voice would hurt him again if he heard his name. Rei gasped, his eyes widening.

"Black Dranzer?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Well, cliffy again xD Sorry everyone, I'm just having some computer troubles, and it only lets me type so much at one time until it shuts off randomly. -boos- Plus, I think this is a good place to stop as I wont be able to update for a while, real life calls -dodges random objects-

I swear the next chapter will be better and longer, so please, review, I hope I haven't disappointed anyone! As a reminder, I don't own 'Eyes Like Yours' by Shakira


	4. Explanations

Many thanks again to everyone who reviewed and favorite-d me and my story :D *hands out more gift bags chock full of goodies* You make me all so happy, when after a long hard day working, I get emails seeing how people love my stories I work so hard on. I hope I solve some questions in this chappy! Please review if you like the story, reviews make me happy, nice long specific reviews make me muuuch happier 8D

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade. If I did, the world would know it *snicker* Tala and Bryan would be together, Kai and Rei would be too, and the series would be turned into animated versions of my fics. I also do not earn any songs or movies or anything else like that in this fic. I am a poor collage student, if I had money, it would go to paying off my loans XP

"blah" - talk

'_blah_' – think

_blah _- sound effects

Pairings-

Kai x Rei

Tyson x Max

Tala x Bryan

Enjoy~ :3

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Rei?" Bryan called softly, knocking on the Tiger's door. When he didn't receive an answer, he opened it, peering inside, worried for Rei because of last night. His eyes widened and a smirk grew on his face at the sight that awaited him. Rei was laying on his back on his bed, eyes closed, his hair loose and his shirt still open and damp from his shower, and was stroking Kai's hair, humming a small tune to the Russian boy, who had his head on Rei's chest, appearing as if asleep.

"Well Well Well..." Tala whispered, having come in behind him, going over to peer closer at the sight. "Seems they made up pretty fast." Rei turned his half opened eyes to the smirking couple, his ears picking up there voices.

"Hey, Guys?" Bryan and Tala started, feeling a little guilty at getting caught.

"Yes, Rei?"

"I was taking a shower this morning...I came out and Kai had grabbed my arm and pulled me onto the bed...he heard me singing, and told me to keep singing, or Susaku will hurt him more." Rei struggled to keep his eyes open, a wide yawn showing his fangs. He didn't get very much sleep last night...his mind was on over drive. And from what he gathered, Kai didn't get much sleep either. Letting out another huge yawn, he closed his eyes, leaning back onto the pillows "Bryan...what is wrong with Kai? Why did he mention Susaku...?" Tala sucked in a breath, his eyes full of sadness.

"You will learn the truth, Rei...but not now..." Tala pulled a lightweight emerald green sheet from the floor and tucked it around Kai and Rei. "Sleep, Rei, you look exhausted." _"Before you learn the burden you must bear..."_

_"_But the others..._" _Bryan pushed lightly on the young boy's shoulders that had slightly risen.

"We will take care of the two brats today." Then, added in a softer tone, "Besides...this is the most peaceful sleep I have ever seen Kai in. I would hate to wake him, and I know you don't want to either." He chuckled softly at the light pink tinge flowing over Rei's checks. "Sleep well, Rei. We will be back in a while, okay?" He was answered only by a drowsy yawn as Rei resuming humming and stroking Kai's hair.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"MA-IA-HII, MA-IA-HUU, MA-IA-HA, MA-IA-HA-HA!"

"I swear to god, Tala, if they don't shut the fuck up I will-" Tyson and Max were singing some horrible song all out of key, all out of the sky window of the limo.

"Bryan, shush...you promised." Bryan scowled, leaning his forehead in his hands. "And you know they would just wake up Kai and Rei if we left them at the hotel." Tala leaned over, giving him a small peck on the cheek and turning to whisper in his ear. "And they need all their strength for this..." Rolling his eyes, Bryan turned to his lover.

"But still...why did we have to take them _shopping_?"

"The stage must be set before the show can go on." Tala grinned that crazy grin of his, making Bryan arch a lilac eyebrow.

"So, then where are we going?" Tala's grin just grew wider, not saying a word. Bryan sighed. This was going to be a looong ride.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kai stirred, opening hazy crimson eyes, yawning as he looked around. Shivering at memories of the night before, he gazed at the beautiful boy on front of him. Rei was sprawled out on his back on the bed, one arm above his head, the other lay across his waist. His hair pooled all around him, shining in the dim light from the drawn curtains, his shirt having somehow gotten opened all the way, revealing a tanned chest that rose and fell softly. Gently, he slid out of the bed, careful not to disturb the sleeping Tiger. He reached over, and with a feathered touch, stroked Rei's face softly with the back of his hand.

_"All Sins have laid there mark on me, and yet...you do not stay away, you just come nearer..." _Kai leaned forward, giving Rei a light kiss before leaving the room.

_"Forgive me, my love, for all that I have done...and what I will inevitably become..."_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Four hours later, Bryan was about to snap. The chip in his head that made him follow any order Boris sent to kill anyone may have been gone...but that didn't get rid of his urge to kill, honed by many years of doing the abbey's dirty work and his 'training'...He let out a low growl, the first warning sign. His hand inched closer to a small bag attached to his belt at the curve of his lower back.

"_No_, Bryan."

"Why the fuck are we here! We've been walking around here for three hours and people won't stop fucking staring at me!" He hissed quietly to Tala, who had his back turned away from the Falcon, and was writing something in a notebook. A loud snarl made him look up, his eyes icy.

"Bryan, put your knives _away! Now!_" Bryan had taken out three of his throwing knives, wicked looking blades 6 inches long each. He had them ready in his hand to throw, at any person who dared look his way in a wrong manner.

"_Bryan._" Bryan felt his hand get heavy, and he felt like he fell in a lake in the middle of winter in Siberia. He glared at Tala, growling low. His hand got heaver and heaver as he looked deep into Tala's eyes, but he refused to lose. Tala sighed, closing his eyes and leaning his forehead into his hand.

"I know you don't like being around a lot of people, but _please_, for me?" Bryan wavered. He hated being around a lot of people, a lot of _unknown_ people. People who could try anything to do anything to him and his lover. But if Tala said no then he would listen. He knew Tala would have let him have his knives out if there was any real chance of a threat. He refused to be caught totally off guard, though, so he took out a large switchblade knife instead. Tala eyed the knife.

"Only if someone dares to try something." he assured the Wolf, even though both knew another hour spent here would mean death to all if Bryan got angered.

"Fine, but no showing the blade unless said incident happens. Da?" One look at those famous icy eyes, and Bryan nodded. Tala's face cleared up immediately, a smile back on his face. Bryan allowed himself a tiny smile, ruffling the redhead's hair.

"Da."

"Just a little bit longer, Borya." Tala pulled the falcon close, and whispered something into his ear that only Bryan could barely hear. "And if you behave...I promise to reward you later." And that made the last hour seem very bearable indeed...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rei yawned, streams of light pouring from the curtains to land on his eyes, waking him up. He propped himself up on one hand, the other going through his bangs, sweeping them away from his eyes, which roamed the room.

"Kai?" He whispered, not trusting his voice. Receiving no answer, he drew his knee up, wrapping his arms around them, burying his face into them. He knew it...it must have all been a dream...Kai would never come to him...It was all a dream of his despite heart that wanted Kai's attention. He sighed, looking at himself. He really wanted a bath, a nice, long, hooooot bath. Rei tugged a hand through his hair, getting up and going to the bathroom, turning on the bath, sitting on the edge of the tub and letting his hand pull through the rapidly filling water. Sighing, he looked at his reflection in the steaming water. He was nothing special. He, a small village neko-jinn, wasn't worthy enough for Kai, a god living among mortals. He should just count all his lucky stars he was on the team with such a boy, and not hope for something that could never be. Sighing again, he undressed, slipping into the hot water, leaning back to wet his hair.

"Up now, are we?" Rei snapped his head to the doorway where a certain redhead was leaning, facing back into the bedroom though, thankfully, even though Rei flipped his hair to cover his lap just in case.

"Tala, what the hell?!"

"Relax, Rei. I just came to ask you where Kai is."

"I don't know where he is." Rei could see Tala frown in the mirror's reflection.

"Not good...not good at all..."

"Tala...what is going on with Kai?" Tala sighed.

"Are you decently covered?" Rei looked down.

"Yes." One use for wicked long hair: clothing. Tala turned around, and sat on the edge of the tub.

"Rei...how much do you know about Kai's time in the Abbey?"

"That he was trained to be an emotionless person, and given lots of training in various skills, in beyblading, but also for battle." Tala nodded.

"And Black Suzaku?" Rei frowned. He didn't know much, except he was supposed to be powerful, and could absorb other bit beasts. He knew even less about the other Dranzer. Why did they have almost the same name, anyway? Tala, seeing the look on his face, explained.

"Both Red Dranzer and Black Dranzer are both named Suzaku. Although, Red Dranzer wanted to distinguish himself from his wicked brother, and so took the name Dranzer."

"Brother?"

"Yes, brother."

"But...isn't there only supposed to be one Phoenix ever in the world at one time?" Tala looked down at Rei, who saw something in the Wolf's eyes...Pity? Sadness?

"That is how it is supposed to be. But something went horribly wrong in the world, and the spirit of the Phoenix mutated. Two phoenixes were born...Dranzer, the Holy Phoenix...and Suzaku, the Wicked Phoenix."

"But what does this have to do with Kai?"

"How to explain this...Rei, bit beasts are ancient gods, reborn within certain people, people who are destined to be great enough to have them, to lend there strength and power to whoever they have chosen, but also some of there personality. Like you and Drigger, and now you show the same characteristics of the White Tiger."

"So, Kai really is a Phoenix?" It made sense, in a way. Once, he was cooking, he had left a very hot iron pan on the counter, waiting for it to cool. Unfortunately, Tyson and Max came running in, knocking the pan over, and it would have fell on him and burned him very badly, if Kai hadn't been there; he had grabbed the pot with his bare hands, not spilling a drop of anything inside. Worried, Rei dragged him to the bathroom to tend to his hands, amidst Kai telling him he was fine. Kai did not have even a touch of redness on his hands anywhere, let alone a burn, even though he should have had 3rd degree burns.

"Yes, although like you have said, There can only be one Phoenix ever at one time...and so, chained within Kai, they battle, never ceasing, until the time comes where one must win, and one must fall."

"One must win, and One must fall..." Rei whispered, his eyes widening. "Tala...which one will win?"

"We can only pray that Dranzer does, Rei. Or the whole Earth is in some serious, serious shit..."

~*~*~*~*~*~

I'm so good to you guys! It is like 3:30 in the morning, I really should be in bed, but I wanted to wrap this chappy up for you guys xD Do enjoy it everyone! ^_^

And props to anyone who can recognize and enjoy Tyson and Max's song xD Not much of those two in this chappy though, I wanted to focus more on Tala and Bryan, and of course, Kai and Rei ^^


	5. Surprises

Oh wow, I got lots of lovely reviews from the last chappy! I really reaaaally appreciate them! ^_^ Plus, the more reviews I get, the quicker I uppdaaate~ :D

Due to a little nudging from Beywriter about my limes *waves* I've tried my hand at a more serious lime in this chappy, I want to spice things up a bit :D Nothing too spicy though, lol

The song Tyson and Max were singing, or attempting too anyway, lol, was "Dragostea Din Tei" by O-zone, better known as the "Numa Numa Yei" song. Oh poor Bryan... xD

Disclaimer: I do own Beyblade, and Kai and Rei make out passionately on each episode- Oh wait, that was my daydream I had at work yesterday, sorry! I still do not own Beyblade in real life. :(

"Blah" - talking

"_Blah" - thinking_

_'blah' – sound effects_

~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Bryan, this is bad. Very, very, very bad..." Tala paced up and down the hallway, digging his nails into his palm so hard he drew blood. "If he is out by himself, and during this time...he knows what could happen...It starts tonight..."

"Tala, cut it out." Bryan grabbed Tala, pulling him into his arms, the redhead's back pressed to his chest as he held Tala close, gripping his wrists. "Look at what you've done, you've made a mess, and now I've got to clean you all up." Pulling them up to his lips, he began to lick the blood of his love's hands.

"Bryan, stop!" Bryan smirked at the whiny tone, entwining his legs in with Tala's so the Wolf's struggles were pointless. He continued to lick all the blood off of Tala's hands, gently but firmly holding his wrists so he could not get away. Tala gave up, sagging against the Falcon, glaring up at him with the iciest look he could muster...which unfortunately at the moment was a weak stare that only made Bryan chuckle and kiss Tala's forehead.

"You still owe me for putting up with the brats, my love..."

"Really, I think now is hardly the ti-_Bryan_!" A red tinge flared on Tala's cheeks as he felt his own hand, guided by a larger, stronger hand, slide up his thigh.

"Oh I think now is a _perfect_ time..." Tala felt something press against his lower back and bit back a small moan. Dammit, there were some **major** problems going on, he needed to think clearly, and, and...- his eyes widened when the sliding hands found themselves a new home in a certain area. Bryan smirked at the small little whimper it earned him when he pressed lightly. _Oh how he would enjoy this..._

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"One must win...One must fall..." Rei whispered, alone once more in the bathtub, the water having turned cold long ago. He couldn't get that one phrase out of his head. What did it mean, exactly...he had tried asking Tala for more, but the wolf had just shook his head and walked out of the bathroom, saying how Rei must learn the rest on his own. He sunk back into the huge tub, his hair floating all around him, lapping at his body like seaweed. What worried him most was that Kai seemed to have vanished, not even Tala knew where he went, and Kai and Tala were as tight as brothers, if not more so.

"Where are you, Kai?" Rei sighed, and closing his eyes, he sank back into the tub, letting the cold water flow over him.

_"Rei..."_ A soft voice, male, serious but still childlike, unknown to him, flowed through his head. Rei sat back up in the tub, looking all around, but saw nothing.

"Rei, you must help me..."Rei's eyes darted forward, where the voice was coming from, and would have cried out, had a small hand not covered his mouth. Rei's eyes widened in fear, finding he could not move an inch, it was like he was paralyzed. "Please, do not be alarmed. I will remove my hand if you won't panic." Rei nodded. The hand removed, Rei looked up at the figure seemingly floating above the tub. It was of a small child, maybe 9 years old., wearing loose robes and wide pants a deep blood red shade, his arms, ankles, neck and wrists encircled by gold rings. He had long white hair, nearly to his knees, neatly sleeked back and braided around small but sharp golden horns, gathered at the end by a gold ring. Piercing emerald green eyes stared back at Rei, matching a shimmering gem set into the boy's forehead. Rei found the courage to speak.

"Uh...Who are you, what are you doing here, and what do you mean, I must help you?" He mentally smacked himself. Good going, Kon, that was real polite...

"Ah, pardon me, My Lord, I was rude to just pop up out of nowhere." The boy put his hands in his sleeves, and bowed, still floating. "I have come to you to seek aid for my Master." Rei blinked. The kid was so formal, and Rei was still trying to figure out why he was_ floating_.

"Master?"

"I belive you know him as Kai Hiwatari."

"Kai? You know Kai? Where is he?" Rei's voice began to rise, panicked.

"One question at a time, my Lord, I will answer them all the best I can, although we have not much time before He awakens. Perhaps we should continue this talk while you clothe yourself? I would hate my Master's _амур_ to be uncomfortable." Rei blinked again, calming down. What did _Amyp_ mean? It sounded Russian. He would have to ask Tala about it later...the water was indeed getting very cold, and he was curious to learn more from the little floating boy.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Bryan jolted awake, knowing something was off, the radar in his head was going wild. He jumped out of bed, or attempting too, he was stopped by a arm wrapped around his waist.

"Tala, get your ass up!" A cerulean eye cracked open.

"I think I already did, about an hour ago when you-"

_"Tala." _Rolling his eyes, Tala slid out of the bed, searching around for his boxers and pants, putting them on.

"So what has your balls in a pinch?"

"Someone is here alone...that should not be here alone."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"So, what does my Lord wish to know first?" Rei perked up an eyebrow. A random boy, glowing red, showed up out of nowhere while he was bathing. the boy was here still, still floating in the air, still being massively polite, and was calling him 'Lord.' There were more questions in his head then Rei had dreams of Kai. And he had a loooooot.

"First, who are you?" The boy bowed again, deeper.

"I am a sincere friend, I am not allowed to say more then that right now, I'm afraid."

"Please, can you then tell me where Kai is? Is he okay?" The boy held sadness in his eyes.

"I know not where Master is exactly, I only know he is fighting the beast this moment, I fear he will loose control without me there to protect him."

"They why aren't you there for him? He could be really hurt!" Rei snapped. He regretted it instantly, the boy looked so sad. "I'm sorry, I-"

"It is alright, I know you speak anger only out of concern for Master. I would give anything to be there, I promise you. However, Master ordered me here."

"Why?"

"To protect you, Lord Rei."

"Me? Why?"

"Because soon the Eclipse will rise and with it, so will the Beast. And you, Rei, are our only hope of defeating it once and for all." Rei stared, then started to laugh.

"Me? A poor little village Neko-jinn, save the world? I think that's Tyson's job, he's in the living room-" He shut up when a pair of tiny, yet warm lips covered his own.

"Master said he knew you'd say that, and told me to give that to you to give you confidence." The boy winked, then vanished into thin air. "Call me if you ever need my help, Rei!" Rei just sat there, his hands over his lips, a blush on his cheeks. It wasn't the boy's kiss that unnerved him, it was what he had _said_...Kai had sent him a kiss?

"Rei?" Rei's eyes darted to the door and the two disheveled teens standing there. "Is everything okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm f-f-ine..." His cracked voice must have given him away. Tala arched an eyebrow, sharing a look with Bryan, who had arched his eyebrow too. Rei was sitting in his bed, looking like he just got out of his bath, his hair wet and flowing everywhere, with only a towel wrapped around his waist, and was blushing like a schoolgirl. Bryan strode forward, and reached to pull something out of Rei's loose hair.

"Rei...what is this?" Rei's eyes widened, as did Tala's and Bryan's. It was a red feather, warm and glowing.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ooooo, cliffhangy and lime goodness! And a mysterious servant of Kai's? Who is he? And what the hell is up with Kai? Where is he? :O All this and more in the next chapter!

For a small bit of help, the Servant Boy's robes should look a bit like Inuyasha's, as in, baggy, red, and asian looking :P

Sorry about the short chappie, I wrote this up quick, and wanted to let the already tons of new info soak in before I really start the good stuff, not to mention I want to see how well my attempts at limes are recived ^^;

Please enjoy, and like I said, the more reviews I get, the quicker I try to update! :D It's a crime to read and run and not review, peeps. *pouts*


	6. Torment

Thanks to all my reviewers, who have stuck with me through this story and have given me the will to keep writing, You know who you are :D

Disclaimer: I do own Beyblade, and Kai/Rei and Tala/Bryan make out passionately on each episode- Oh wait, that was my daydream I had at work yesterday, sorry! I still do not own Beyblade in real life. :( I don't own any songs

"Blah" - talking

"_Blah" - thinking_

_'blah' – sound effects_

"_**Blah" - lyrics**_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Rei...why is there a feather in your hair?" Tala asked calmly, holding it up to his eyes.

"Uh...well, I was in the bath, and this floating boy popped up out of nowhere!"

"A floating boy?" Bryan asked, his eyebrow raised, taking the feather from Tala to look at it.

"I'm not lying, I swear! He said he knew Kai!" Tala looked up, his eyes icy.

"Rei, what did this boy look like?" Rei closed his eyes, thinking.

"He was wearing red robes, had long ivory hair braided around gold horns, and emerald green eyes-" Tala rolled his eyes, turning to Bryan.

"Well, now we know what you sensed. _He_ came to visit, but why is he away from Kai? Kai needs him to hold the Beast at bay..." The two launched into a flurry of Russian, leaving a very confused Rei sitting on the bed, looking between the two Russians, and flinched when two pairs of eyes suddenly whipped in his direction. Rei didn't dare move, for they both had this crazy look in their eyes...he gulped, letting out a small mew as they advanced closer...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tyson sighed, drumming his fingers on the kitchen table, sipping a glass of lemonade, his eyes flowing around the room. About to take another sip, he almost choked on it and fell out of his chair when a sharp blade embedded itself into the table in front of him, appearing out of nowhere.

"What the fuck, dude?!" Bryan came over and crouched in front of him, toying with another knife in his hand.

"Granger, could you please explain to me why Max is crying on the couch?" He slammed the knife in the tiles right between Tyson's legs, very, very close to a sensitive area. Tyson whimpered, looking up into Bryan's cold and narrow eyes.

"It was an accident, I swear. I didn't mean to make him cry, I just didn't know what to do!" Bryan sighed, rubbing his forehead with his hands. He was trying to find something Tala needed, and he had seen the blond lying on the couch, sniffling. His blue eyes were tearing up rapidly, and it reminded him so much of when Tala got sad that he went over to see if Max was alright.

_"When we got back, I had tripped on the stairs on my way back to my room to get ready for the party. I was going to fall down, but Tyson was walking upstairs and he caught me, and brought me back to my room and put me on my bed. I don't know what came over me, I kissed him and told him how I felt...he just walked away..." Sniffle. Bryan sighed._

_"Did I do something w-wrong?" Max asked, voice wavering. Bryan ruffled Max's hair._

_"Nyet, Little Turtle. Granger is just one thick headed idiot. Although, he does have a big heart, and I have seen him looking at you a lot lately, with a loving look in his eyes." Max cocked his head._

_"Really?"_

_"I think he is just...confused. He always is, how do you say it, with his head in the clouds."_

Bryan just wanted to fix this little mess quickly, it was the last thing he needed, and if he didn't return to Tala soon with what he asked for, Bryan was in danger of getting 'playtime' revoked for the next few days...and a sex-deprived Bryan was a very, very dangerous Bryan.

"Granger, tell me this. Do you love the boy?"

"I do, I just-" Bryan whacked Tyson on the head, and thankfully for the blunette there was no knife in the Falcon's hand.

"No excuses, тучный ишак! Go in there, apologize, make him happy again, or I will kick your nuts in so hard they will turn into goddamn ovaries!" Bryan hissed. Blinking at the Russian word, and his eyes widening at the rest, Tyson started when a third throwing knife embedded itself in the wall right by his ear with a loud snarl.

"Alright, Alright! I'm going!" Bryan was tempted to throw yet another blade into Tyson's ass as he scrambled to get away, but he hadn't the time, he needed to find that item Tala wanted, and fast.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"...Max?" Max lifted is head from the pillow, sniffling. Tyson was standing there, scratching his head and looking at his shoes.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry for how I acted."

"It's alright, Tyson, I was stupid to think-" Max's eyes widened when Tyson sat on the couch next to him, and pulled him into his lap, wrapping him in his arms and kissing him square on the lips.

"Max, that's my job, remember?" Max just gaped, then started to giggle when the joke hit home. Tyson ran his fingers through Max's soft blond hair.

"So, Maxie...ya wanna go to this party with me?"

"Are you...?" Max asked, cocking his head.

"Asking you out on a date? Hells yeah!" Tyson grinned that famous 'I'm a winner!' smile of his, and Max just melted, snuggling into the Dragon's chest.

"I'd be glad too, Tyson."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Tala, _why_ am I in the bath _again_?!" Rei groaned, stuck in yet another bath, although this one was nice and hot, and was full of bubbles that smelt nice, even to his sensitive nose.

"Kon, it is a long and elaborate story that would take forever to tell and even longer to convince you it's truth." Rei sighed, then winced. Tala was scrubbing some sort of herb and flower paste into his hair, and was none to gentle.

"Then could you let off the strength? You're going to rip my hair right out, you know, if you keep that up." Tala, rolling his eyes, immediately switched to a more gentle touch, now pouring some more of some sort of oil onto the Tiger's hair as well, and combed it through.

"Better?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Now shut up, you are my personal Asian Barbie for the next few hours." Rolling his eyes, Rei just enjoyed Tala working his scalp. Silence ruled in the bathroom for the next few minutes, until...

"So, why would it take forever to tell? Besides, we all know you will be in here forever anyway because of my hair." Tala sighed.

"Rei, that boy you met..."

"I swear he poofed right into here, I'm not going crazy."

"...Do you know who he really is?"

"He is some servant of Kai's from what he said."

"Rei, you idiot, that was Dranzer." Rei's mouth dropped, but sputtered as a cupful of cold water was poured over his face.

_"W-What?" _Rolling his eyes, Tala rummaged in the box next to him for a bit, before lifting out what appeared to be a huge bath fizzy.

"Really, you didn't know that was him?"

"Tala, my senses can only go so far, you know. Now, if a Chibi _Phoenix_ Dranzer popped up in the bathroom, I'd know who it was immediately. A small boy who floats? Nope, I'm gonna be surprised."

"The only reason he is in such a small form is because to battle Susaku has drained a lot of Dranzer's energy. They have been at it for quite a while now." Rei sighed. He was so confused.

"Tala, please, can you just come out straight? What the fuck is wrong with Kai?" Tala arched an eyebrow while dropping in the bath fizz, watching it turn the water a light pink. He never knew Rei could swear. But staring into the determined amber eyes, he knew he had to reveal a lot more then what he had already.

"Well, it all started almost 18 years ago...a tiny red star appeared in the sky, going unnoticed by many. But it has been growing in size, and now it is very large. It has been foretold that this star will grow to be so big it will block out the sun...this is the 'Eclipse of the Wicked One' that will bring about the coming forth of Susaku."

"But what about Kai? Where is he, what is wrong with him?"

"Like I have said, no one knows where Kai is, but your second question is more easily answered." Tala took a deep breath before continuing. "Remember how I said both Phoenix's must battle until one wins, and one falls?" Rei nodded.

"Well, they are battling for control of Kai." Rei gasped

"What?"

"Dranzer and Susaku, for their strength, feel off of Kai's wishes and emotions. Good and pure thoughts and deeds feed Dranzer. Wicked deeds and evil thoughts bring strength to Susaku. You may have noticed Kai when he got angry, or in a rage? Well, that was Suzaku taking control of Kai. He can't ever hold on for long until he must be clothed in his chains again, but those chains are weakening...and on Kai's 18th birthday, the age Phoenix Prince's are eligible for the throne, the Star and Sun will move together, and the Eclipse will come to be. It will form a 'Cursed Black Sun' which Suzaku will then try to use to grown in power." Tala paused, working on a stubborn tangle in Rei's hair, lettng the tiger muse. "For the last 17 years, both Dranzer and Suzaku fighting within him, never ceasing. Dranzer is fighting to protect Kai, and to lead him to the right path. Suzaku, on the other hand, wants to take over Kai, so he can defeat Dranzer and take his brother's place as God of Immortals...

"God of Immortals?"

"Thousands of years ago, both Dranzer and Susazku were in line for the Throne of the Immortals, as the Phoenix is the most powerful Immortal of all. Of course, there cannot be two gods, so having twin brothers posed a problem. They called in a very wise, powerful Sorcerer and Mystic, who could read the stars to decide who was fated to take the throne. His name was Byakko, the head of the Neko-Oni clan." Tala let that sink in as he rummage for another little sachet, and poured the powder into the water.

"Neko-Oni...Byakko..." Rei mused on, until it hit him, literally. He fell back into the water as something fell onto his head. Lifting his head and pushing his hair out of his eyes, he could only stare, as Tala was already doing.

"Has Master summoned me?" Another small boy was floating in the air, this time, in a pair of white Chinese pants and a white Chinese jacket, both edged in a deep green and tied at the waist with a long sash of the same color. Curved golden spikes were set into bands on his wrists, upper arms, and ankles, and his extremely long white hair, that was at least 1.5 time as long as the kid was tall, was bound together with golden fabric, as were two elbow length side locks of hair that lay on his chest, revealing two pointy ears that both were pierced with gold hoops, a large amber drop in each ring. Inquisitive amber eyes stared down at the raven haired boy, who could only stare right back. Those eyes reminded him of...

_"Drigger?!" _The boy let out a huge grin, revealing fangs.

"Ah, I had hoped master would recognize me in this form. It has been a while since we have talked like this, Master."

"...I am going insane...." Rei groaned, covering his face with his hands as he sunk back into the water.

"Master called me to him, so there must be something I can help him with?" Drigger chirped, bowing.

"Uh, I don't-"

"Who the _hell_ is that?" Flipping around, Tala whacked Bryan upside the head.

"Be polite to our guest, love. His name is Drigger." Bryan stared at the floating boy, who merely grinned and waved.

"_Drigger? _First Dranzer comes by, and now Drigger..." Bryan shook his head, walking back out to the bedroom. "That thing you wanted is on the bed, Tala." Tala grew a huge grin on his face, like a child who has been told about where the cookie jar had been hidden.

"Actually, Drigger...there _IS_ something you can help us with..."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_An earthshaking pain brought Kai crashing to the floor, his breath ragged as he clutched his chest._

_"You shall not win..." he panted, his pupils dilated to mere pinpoints by the pain. "No matter what happens to me, I shall not let you win by taking him away from me!" Fire flowed through his veins, he felt it's heat leaking through the cuts all over his body he had made on himself, his nails growing longer and sharper. Pain helped him focus, pain helped him remember who he truly was, not what that Demon was trying to make him be...Pain shot through his shoulders, and he could feel and hear bones breaking, realigning themselves. Kai refused to cry out, and stuffed his hand in his mouth to stop the cries Dark chuckles rang throughout the room, having no pity for the boy._

_"You fool! You could have saved yourself pain, but you sent him away to protect that foolish Neko. You will suffer for your stupidity!" Rings of black fire surrounded Kai, and he could feel something warm and wet dripping down his back. "Surrender to me, Kai. Get rid of all your silly little emotions of 'love' and 'friendship,' and you will know true power, power to rule as the God you were meant to be!"_

_"I refuse to be ruled by you anymore!" A pale hand with black claws extended from the shadows and griped Kai's throat._

_"I wasn't asking, Kai..." Kai looked into a pair of evil eyes the color of dried blood, and felt himself getting weak, almost blacking out. "You will help me get my revenge, boy, upon my insolent brother and his beloved Byakko!"_

_~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~_

_Blaaah i'm so tired :P I was up all night because i hurt my wrist, so I wrote this out. I'm not happy with the ending, so constructive critisium is good! If you have a question, just please leave a review and I'll get to you asap :D_


	7. Misery

Oh wow, it's been a while, ne? It's just that I've been working all week, the night shift. Ugh, I have absolutely no days off, so it's hard for me to write, but I promise I will still try to update somewhat regularly!

Reviews give me the strength to update! With each review I get, I get inspired to keep writing!

Disclaimer: I do own Beyblade, and Kai/Rei and Tala/Bryan make out passionately on each episode- Oh wait, that was my daydream I had at work yesterday, sorry! I still do not own Beyblade in real life. :( I don't own any songs or movies mentioned here either.

Oh, by the way, the Russian in the last chapter that Bryan was speaking translates as "fat ass" or thats what Babel fish gave me at least... xP

"Blah" - talking

"_Blah" - thinking_

_'blah' – sound effects_

"_**Blah" - lyrics**_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"No fucking way!"

"Oh calm down and get back over here, Rei. I don't bite." Tala grinned widely. "Much."

"I am NOT wearing that!" Rei growled backing up away from Tala and looking for a way out. Unfortunately, when a six foot three, broad shouldered, lilac haired smirking Russian is also there to make sure you don't escape, it makes it a little difficult too.

"Rei, you aren't going anywhere; you are dripping wet, half naked, and you need to do this to help Kai."

"Bryan, how will me wearing that help Kai?" Rei hissed, although with a less angry tone, and a helpless look in his eyes when they turned again to the garment bag on the bed. He really, really, reaaaalllly did want to help Kai, but that bag...

"I tried to connect to Kai earlier. I felt a change in the energy link we share." Tala said, crossing his arms. "His energy is normally the color of a roaring fire, flickering with gold, bright red , orange, yellow, and white. But now, it's changing. It's slowly but surely turning dark red and black." Rei just stared blankly at the redhead.

"Every person this this world has an energy stream that defines them, nobody's is the exact same in anyway. Certain people can see these streams, and can communicate via the streams." Tala explained. "You might know it as Qi, or Chi, depending on the dialect you speak."

"Ah, ok. But what about whole Kai is changing colors thing?"

"Rei, you should know this...Kai's very essence is being changed. Tell me, what do you think could have happened?" Rei closed his eyes, thinking.

"Kai's very essence is changing, but how...the only way that could happen was if something was taking him-" Rei's eyes snapped open, horror growing on his face. "No...Suzaku..."

"Suzaku must have found a large weak point in Kai's defense to gain so much ground." Tala leaned in, staring into the Tiger's eyes. "We need to lure him back here so we can confront the beast. But to use a lure one must have bait..." He gestured to the Rei.

"Why am_ I_ bait?!"

"It is because you will be most attractive to him, pure as you are." A voice called from above them. "And as thus, you are the only one we can use if we want a chance at winning." Drigger floated down to meet the trio, a large box in his hands. "But I am worried about Dranzer, too..." He turned behind him, to where the small boy was floating silently, an unreadable look on his face. "He and Kai have a very, very strong bond. Any pain Kai feels...Dranzer does too." The phoenix turned his face to the others, his eyes dull.

"Kai had not been taken over completely yet. But we will have only one chance to make our move. Rei, please, I implore you, help us save Kai." Rei looked around at all the faces before him, then back to the bag on the bed. He sighed, his head in his hands. What he would do for love he wasn't even sure was requited...But love isn't selfish, and he would damn well save Kai no matter what!

"Alright...I'll do it."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tyson, for once in his life, could not speak. And it was all due to what stood before him...and again, for once in his life, it wasn't food.

"Do I look ok?" Max asked nervously, his eyes not willing to meet Tyson's. The blond was dressed in a pair of light blue, bell bottom silk pants shot through with silver threads, and instead of a shirt, he wore a light blue kimono, silver stars and clouds sweeping all over the hems and the ends of his long sleeves. A dark blue obi and silver cord was loosely tied at the back of his waist, the ends falling to land a few inches off the floor. He fiddled with a white and dark blue kanzashi that Tala had set into his hair, making tiny silver bells shaped like small turtles jingle pleasantly.

"Did it hurt?" Max looked up, confused.

"Did what hurt?"

"When ya fell down from heaven!" Max stared at the dragon, then burst out laughing. Tyson looked indignant, rubbing the back of his head, a pink flush coming over his cheeks.

"What? My grandpa taught me that one." Max shook his head, looking back up at the Dragon blader. He was dressed as a samurai in a dark navy blue robe, his family crest on the back, swords he had gotten from his grandfather strapped to his hip.

"That was so..._corny, _Tyson."

"But it made ya laugh, didn't it?" Max nodded, still laughing, walking over to Tyson and throwing his arms around the other blader.

"Tala said if we didn't meet him downstairs in ten minutes we'd be walking to the party." Tyson earned a half squeal half gasp from Max when he picked him up bridal style, and starting jogging down the hallway.

"We'd better hurry up then, eh? I hate doing laps for one insane Russian already!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Whoa..." Max said, his draw dropping.

"Oh my god..." Tyson could only stare at the sight in front of them: a huge, very finely made troika sled, painted white with silver trim, drawn by three even bigger white horses, wild looking creatures with long manes and tails, snorting, stomping their hooves and throwing their heads around, the silver harnesses jingling.

"Yes, I'm here." Tala smirked, walking down the steps to where the other two were, his long white fur cloak sweeping the snow behind him. They could not see his costume, only that his hair was not in the usual horns, instead it was set into a smooth ponytail at the base of his neck, tied with a bow of silvery blue silk ribbon. His two thin bangs, however, still swept in front of his face, framing sparkling ice blue eyes.

"Tala, your ego can only be matched by Granger's stomach." Bryan followed close behind, rolling his eyes, his costume covered by a long black duster jacket. He tossed two cloaks at the younger bladers, muffling Tyson's "Hey!" as he walked by, both being brown fur with brown silk lining.

"Wear those, or you will both freeze." Tyson slipped his on, as did Max, and looked around.

"Hey, where is Rei and Kai? Speaking of Kai, I don't think I've seen him in a while..."

"Kai had some business to take care of, and Rei will be down soon enough." Tala said briskly, walking to the Troika.

"Tala, why are we taking a sled?"

"This is no ordinary party, Max, as you will soon see." Tala turned and grinned at the blond, his eyes then moving to look behind him. "And it's about time, Rei, we were all going to turn into icicles waiting for you." The Neko-jinn walked up to the group. clutching his white fur cloak tighter around him, the hood up and covering his head. Unfortunately, he couldn't hide his face, or rather, what was on it...

"Rei...are you wearing _eyeliner_?" Max asked, with wonder, as Rei's face flushed.

"Now now, no teasing, just get all your asses in the sled so we can get going." Tala sighed. Holding Bryan's hand for balance, he gracefully climbed into the sled, then gestured to Rei, who started to back away slowly. Bryan rolled his eyes, grabbed the raven haired blader and lifted him into the sled, who was soon pulled down into the seat by Tala to sit next to him, with Tyson and Max on the other side. Bryan then took his place at the very front of the sled, picking up the reins

"We are all set, Da?"

"Da. And try to keep it slow, as not to scare the children, eh?" Bryan chuckled softly, flicking the reins, starting them on their way.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"You ok, Tyson?" Max worriedly asked, his hands rubbing the Dragon's back, who was looking somewhat green. Tyson nodded, not trusting himself to open his mouth, closing his eyes to block out the snowy landscape blurring beside him.

"Don't worry, we are almost there." Tala laughed softly, pulling a small silk bag out from under his cloak. "Here, eat this, it should help you." He reached in to grab some small, spicy smelling, pale yellow cubes. Tala gave them to Tyson, who quickly threw them in his mouth. His throat mildly burning with the spiciness, he coughed.

"What the hell?"

"It is crystallized ginger, it helps greatly with stomachaches and nausea. I figured you guys would need it, not being used to the sled like me and Bryan." Tala explained, handing a cube to Max too, before popping a cube in his own mouth. He glanced at Rei, who had not said one word since they had set off, only closing his eyes and wrapping himself tight in his cloak against the light snowfall.

"Everything will be okay, Kitten." Tala whispered, only loud enough for Rei to hear over the loud rushing wind as he leaned over to hand Rei a ginger cube. "We will get him back, I promise."

"Is it really that simple? If Susaku really is a reincarnated god, do we stand a chance?" Rei whispered back, with a sigh in his tone as he took the cube. "What if I can't do it? Then Kai will get hurt and it will be all my fault-"

"Rei, don't you _dare_ go onto a pity party now. Everything will be ok, I _know_ so."

"But how?"

"I have my reasons, Kitten." Tala leaned back, speaking a few Russian words to Bryan, who replied back in Russian also, his response making Tala grin. "Ah, it seems we are here." Indeed the sled seemed to be slowing down, and they were heading to a large building, the size of over 9 football fields, surrounded by forest, already swarming with other sleds. A tall tower could be seen stretching towards the darkening sky not to far in the distance, seemingly holding the bells that were ringing out. The sled slid to a halt in front of a large, imposing door, made of a heavy dark wood, ornately carved and inlaid with silver in swirling designs.

"Isn't it fabulous? I've had it built especially for the parties I just so love to host." Tala said, gesturing to the building, a loving sigh in his voice. The building was grand, built to look like a small cathedral, made of marble, and covered with intricate carvings, from fierce creatures to beautiful human-like figures.

"This thing must have cost a_ fortune_!" Tala smirked.

"Well, yes, but when you are both a Russian Beyblade Champion and best friend to one of the richest men in the world, it all evens out. Besides, I do rent it out sometimes, for the right price. So it's not like I'm totally selfish." Bryan let out a snort, earning a glare from Tala.

"It's even worse on the inside." Reining in the horses to a stop, Bryan jumped down to the snowy ground, helping Tala get out, then picking up Rei again to lift him out of the sled again as Tyson helped Max get out. Rei tried to struggle out of Bryan's arms, but was held to tight to move.

"I can walk, you know."

"But you might ruin your lovely new shoes, Kitten, and we can't have that, can we?" Tala grinned.

"Ooooo...They do look really pretty, Rei." Max chirped, leaning in to see. One of his feet, peaking out from under his cloak, showed a slipper made of white silk, embroidered with golden thread and spangles, above it, a thin golden bangle encircling his slim ankle, tiny golden bells dangling from it. "I really can't wait to see your costume." Rei blushed darker before covering his face with his sleeves.

"Aw, Kitten is embarrassed." Bryan smirked before starting to stride to the doors, Tala walking beside him as Tyson and Max following close behind, looking around in awe. Two uniformed guards stood at the door, bowing deep to them as they opened the door. A wave of warm air, laced with sweet perfumes and light music, flowed over them, leaving the cold air behind as the doors shut behind them. Before them lay a huge ballroom, filled with light that glittered off the many ornate decorations and garments of the dancers. Bryan set Rei down to stand next to Tyson and max, who had also shrugged off there cloaks, Rei just clutching his tighter. He unbuckled his coat, revealing his costume, leaving the three mouths of the younger bladers to drop. Bryan wore a black, floor length, sleeveless cassock, that was buttoned tightly closed from the scarlet clerical collar around his neck, until it reached his waist, where it flowed open, revealing a scarlet silk lining and black leather pants. An ornate silver cross hung from his neck, matching the chains and the crosses dangling from them that were wrapped around his waist, used as a belt, although the pants seemed to be so tight as to not need a belt at all...and they were sure that priests did _not_ wear leather pants either.

"You are dressed as a...a..._priest_?!"

"Well, the theme of this year is Good and Evil after all, Tyson. Although_, all that is seen...you never know what is real...or what is not." _Tala smirked, his eyes raking over his love's body. He did have to admit, it was pure irony, if looked at it from Tyson's view: A wicked holy man...A wicked _damned __**hot**_ holy man.

_**"Dancing bears,  
Painted wings,  
Things I almost remember,  
And a song someone sings  
Once upon a December..."**_

His ears perked up at music beginning to lit through the air. _"_Oh Bryan, listen, they're playing our song!" Tala grinned, stepping forward, flinging off his cloak to a waiting attendant, making their jaws drop lower. He wore a pale yellow, square necked silk tank top, with billowing chiffon off shoulder sleeves in a very sheer pale yellow, that were shot through with golden threads. His pants were made also of a pale yellow silk, hugging his body until his knees, where they billowed out to the floor, the same chiffon used in his sleeves overlaying his pants, making it seem as if he was wearing a skirt. A wide ribbon, the same shade as the one in his hair, formed a sash tied loosely around his waist.

_**"Someone holds me safe and warm.  
Horses prance through a silver storm.  
Figures dancing gracefully  
Across my memory... "**_

He pulled Bryan onto the dance floor, Bryan quickly gaining lead, his hand resting on Tala's hip and entwining in his hand as they spun into the circle of the waltzing dancers. Tyson bowed, grinning, offering his hand to Max, who giggling, accepted, and they too were off whirling.

_**"Someone holds me safe and warm.  
Horses prance through a silver storm.  
Figures dancing gracefully  
Across my memory... "**_

Rei sighed, leaning against the wall, watching everyone else with half closed amber eyes. He saw Tyson and Max, clumsy, but still beaming with budding love, laughing with each other. Then there was Tala and Bryan, both graceful and elegant, there faces holding the barest hint of a smile, but their eyes told all they were so much in love...He stood deeper into the shadows, not wanting to be seen by the two pairs, he knew the look on his face and in his eyes would ruin their happy night. He felt a sudden tug on his cloak, making it fall to the floor. Rei gasped as he felt himself being led to the dance floor, a firm hand on his waist. He had no time to struggle before he too was being led through the whirling waltz. He flushed red, knowing others were staring at him. Tala had outlined the top of his eyes in white eyeliner, and slicked his lips with a gold specked clear lip gloss, then dressed him in a sheer-butjust-opaque-enough-nothing-personal-could-be-seen white silk harem pants and a halter top of the same material, which flowed to the floor, two side slits reaching up to his waist. His long hair was gathered at the top of his head and held by two golden hair sticks into a ponytail. A golden hair fork was also stuck into the ponytail at the back of his head, the top of the fork being a half circle shape, radiating thin golden spikes. The rest of his hair fell to the floor, thin braids tucked in here and there, ending in gold rings, matching the bangles on his ankle and wrists, all trimmed in tiny gold bells. A pair of beautiful white wings sprouted from his shoulders, and every inch of bare flesh he had, Tala had brushed gold body powder over.

_**"Far away, long ago,  
Glowing dim as an ember,  
Things my heart  
Used to know,  
**__**Things it yearns to remember..."**_

Rei closed his eyes as he felt himself being twirled, unwilling to look into all the staring eyes.

"Why so ashamed? You do look beautiful." Amber eyes snapped open, looking up to see the face of the one who had claimed him for the dance. Rei could not see his eyes, the face hidden behind a mask of that of a black phoenix, dark red gems where the eyes should have been. A long, swirling black cloak with a high collar and hood, lined with the same dark red silk covered his whole body, except for two huge black wings. Even his hands were covered with black silk gloves.

"_**And a song  
Someone sings  
Once upon a December..."**_

He felt strangely peaceful, looking up into those gem eyes, as if he was slipping in a dream. The voice sounded familiar, but, the tone, it was to dark...as he slipped into unconsciousness, he felt a pair of lip claim his, and before everything went totally black, he could have sworn he tasted blood...

~*~*~*~*~*~

Oooo, cliffy!~

I am actually really proud of this chapter, I hope you all like it! XD

Cookies to any who can tell me who Tala is supposed to be~ :P As if the song wasn't a big enough clue, lol. I don't own it, by the way, it is 'Once upon a December' by whoever wrote it, I forget~

I was listening to a remix of it while writing this chapter, you can find it on Youtube, it is by D3Y or something like that :)

Please review, peeps! They give me the strength to go on!


	8. Wrath

I would just like to start off by once again thanking everyone who had read and reviewed my story, thank you all sooo much! :D

Also, I really hope you guys aren't too off put by all my descriptions, I just can't help myself, lol. I can't draw at all, you see, so I like to 'draw' with my words :D I love coming up with clothes most of all.

I bet you all are pretty confused right now, eh? Well, hopefully I can clear up a few things in this chapter for you all, ne? ^_^

Since a lot of people have asked, here are the boy's costumes :)

**Tala** is supposed to be Anastasia, and he is wearing, modified by me of course, the gown she wore in the 'Once upon a December' scene :) I would like to clear up a bit what his pants really look like, though. I had typed _"His pants were made also of a pale yellow silk, hugging his body until his knees, where they billowed out to the floor, the same chiffon used in his sleeves overlaying his pants, making it seem as if he was wearing a skirt..." _His pants are supposed to be the pale yellow silk, then overlaid with the chiffon so that you can see the pants underneath. They are tight, then when they reach his knees, they flare out, the chiffon flaring out as well. So he isn't really wearing a skirt, just the fullness of the bottom of the pants makes it seem so. I hope I didn't confuse anyone. ^_^;

**Bryan – **Rasputin, of course, very heavily modified by me. After all, we can't have a gorgeous guy like him dress like a rotting corpse, ne?

**Tyson** – Samurai, of course ^^

**Max** – Every Samurai has to have a Geisha, and luckily for Tyson, the blond seems to have agreed to be his! :D

**Rei** – An Angel. A little boring, I know, but he was supposed to be something else, but how I wanted to write it and the scene it was in didn't really fit in with the rest of the story, so last minute I changed it. See my new one shot 'Gypsy' to see what I really wanted him to be ;3

And who is that **Masked Man**? That, my dear peeps, is something you will have to read on to find out! ;D On with the Fic!

*pauses* Whoops, forgot the legal stuffs.

Disclaimer – Really, I think we all know what I'm gonna say- I don't own beyblade or any of it's characters. Nor do I own any music used in the fic.

Also, remember~

"Blah" - talking

"_Blah" - thinking_

_'blah' – sound effects_

"**_Blah" - lyrics_**

Okay, NOW on with the fic!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tala saw Rei get swept up into a dance by someone he knew had no right to get near him. His eyes narrowed, turning icy.

"What the _hell_ does that fucker think he is **doing**?" He hissed.

"Tala..." Bryan twirled Tala around in tune of the music, his eyes also on the strange pair. A snarl brewed in Tala's throat.

"I am going to march right over there and shove an icicle the size of Antarctica right up his-"

"_Tala._" Bryan gripped the Wolf's wrists, holding him tight as he easily maneuvered them to the side of the room. Stepping into the shadows so no one could see them, he pinned Tala to the wall, staring straight into his icy eyes. "Listen to me. We don't stand a chance if we take him on right now. And he has Rei under some sort of hypnosis, it seems, and who knows what he might do to him if we act to rashly."

"But-"

"This is not our fight, Tala...we cannot fight against Gods...Only other Gods can." A wicked glint sparking in his eye, he held up the large cross around his neck...set into the center was his bit chip, glowing a light purple. Tala smirked, his eyes catching the same wicked glint. He pulled out a golden chain where he had kept it hidden under his shirt, his bit chip glowing an icy blue while set into a pendant shaped like a 12 pointed star,

"Then we shall make sure Suzaku knows that he is not the most powerful as he claims...only the most stupid!" Tala let out a snarl, his eyes flashing. "Now, it is war!"

"Bryan! You gotta come quick-"

"Tala, Rei is-" Max and Tyson had run to them, both in a rush to get heard.

"Slow down, you two. What is wrong?"

"Bryan, Over there, two strange people showed up, and they are in a fight with the person that was dancing with Rei!"

"Where are they now?"

"Over there!" Max pointed to a section of the dance floor on the other side of the building. Channeling the eyesight power of his falcon bit beast, he saw what was happening, and cursing and speaking loudly in Russian. Tyson turned to Tala, a worried look coming onto his face when he saw the Wolf's eyes widening at what Bryan was saying.

"Tala, something is so wrong with Rei! He's all zoned out! He wouldn't answer me or Max when we tried talking to hi-" A loud scream, like the war cry of a huge bird ripped through the air, and the group quickly ran towards the source. Two tall figures, both completely cloaked, one in black and one in white, had the Masked man trapped in a courner, but he held Rei, silent and zombie-like, in front of him like a shield, his long, talon-like fingernails held at the Neko's throat.

"One more move and your precious kitten is dead!" he snarled, pressing a fingernail lightly to Rei's throat, drawing a thin line of red. A low, threatening growl formed deep into the white cloaked figure as he moved forward, but the black cloaked figure held out an arm to stop him. Another arm undid the clasp of his cloak, flinging it to the floor.

"Unhand him!" Dranzer snarled, his eyes flashing, huge red, gold armored wings unfurling. Laughing, the figure flung his mask to the floor, his cloak following shortly. The four other bladers could only stare at the sight before them. Dranzer was no longer a small boy, having grown. He still wore the red robes, and the golden bangles, abet larger. His ivory hair was now freely falling in a spiky mass to his waist, his hardened emerald eyes flashing dangerously, the gem in his forehead glowing. His three horns were much longer now, as well as fatally sharp. And under the mask...

"Since you left him, _dear brother_, Kai is so lonely, I thought maybe Kitten here could make him feel better!" Susaku smirked. Susaku was the mirror image of his brother, only his robes and wings were black, and his eyes were a dark blood red, matching the gem on his forehead. He turned his eyes onto the white cloaked figure.

"Seems you have failed in protecting your cub, Byakko." Flinging his cloak to the floor, a growling roar ripping from his throat, Drigger stepped forward, his long tail flicking dangerously, his ears flattened back in warning. He had grown as well, his body more lithe and flexible. His amber eyes glowed with hatred, long, sharp fangs bared in a snarl as he shifted into a fighting stance, his golden bound hair braid slipping of his shoulder to gently sweep the floor, his forelocks bumping his waist, also bound in gold, the ends capped by golden spikes.

"Give. Him. Back." he hissed, eyes slitting.

"Rei is not part of this, let him go, Brother!"

"I have not forgotten what happened over a thousand years ago!" Susaku snarled, his talons reflexing to make more thin red lines drip down Rei's throat. "I was betrayed, sealed away! I shall have my revenge on you both!" He swung his other arm at the others, sending a wall of black fire roaring towards them. A sudden blast of wind dissipated the black fire, making Susaku snarl with rage, turning towards he who dared challenge him.

"I don't know who the hell you are, but nobody hurts any of my friends and gets away with it!" Tyson stepped forward, his blade in his hands, the chip glowing a deep azure blue. "Go Dragoon!" Light poured out of his blade, but instead of the Dragon of the East, A tall, muscular man, dressed in steel grey samurai robes and wide pants, underneath which a lighter blue underclothes showed. Spiky azure hair was set into a short ponytail around long steel grey horns, gathered at the nape of his neck, falling to just above his shoulders. Long bangs, with the grey part sweeping his shoulders, the azure part just barely falling past his chin, framed hardened steel-blue eyes. He also took a fighting stance, his weapon appearing on his fists and arms; Long black and grey gauntlets padded his hands and arms all the way to his elbows, with thin, but wicked sharp, four foot long blades extending out of his elbows. Five more long blades shot out of the gauntlets at the knuckles, the ends forming hooked points. Fangs bared, he let out a mighty roar, strong winds whipping around his body, his spiky azure blue dragonic tail thrashing the floor.

"Tyson's right! Let Rei go!" Max added, his own blade in his hands. "Go Draciel!" another figure shot out of Max's blade, forming into the shape of a thin, young boy. His was clothed in long black pants and a deep purple turtleneck, a long, heavily armored black long sleeved jacket with a spike-like collar that rose and curved around to protect the back of his neck. His hands, moved fluidly around a large ball of water suspended in the air before him. All his clothes moved with the fluidity of silk, yet were harder then anything else in the universe, able to deflect any blow. Deep purple spiky hair ruffled in the wind Dragoon gave off, bright purple eyes shining with determination.

"Whoa, What the..?" Tyson gasped, stepping backwards.

"How cool!" Max chirped, jumping up and down, glomping Tyson, almost making him fall down.

"You mess with one of us, Susaku, you mess with all of us!" Tala smirked, an icy blue light shooting from his bit chip.

"And when you mess with all of us..._you lose!_"

"Wolborg!" A young man burst forward with a howl, long fangs bared and white furry ears and long tail twitching in anticipation of a battle. White hair about four inches long fell into spiky layers, with two thick, lightning bolt shaped bangs framing fiery orange eyes. He wore only a pair of tight white pants, and a long, loose fitting white shirt that was left open to reveal his bare chest and neck, encircled by a wide steel collar set with jagged crystal spikes, his bare ankles and wrists were encircled by red metal v-shaped cuffs. A teal colored gem flickered in his forehead, glowing softly as he lifted his hand, flicking a wrist to send out a ring of jagged ice crystal swords to spin around him, ready to pierce any target at a moments notices.

"Falborg!" Another loud shriek ripped the air, strong gusts of razor wind ripping the floor as another figure formed out of Bryan's bit chip. The new boy's grey hair was very short and spiky, tinged with lavender blue. His emerald eyes were framed by four teal bangs, each tipped with grey, two ending at his high cheekbones, two below his chin. He unfurled his huge lavender grey wings, sending stronger razor winds to rip up the near walls. He wore five thick spiked golden bands on each of his arms, the first one having a spike that curved up to protect his shoulders, two more bands before his elbow, then two on his lower arms. Black fingerless gloves were armored with red metal plates, guarding hands that were each holding five wicked looking throwing knives shaped like feathers. He also wore a white sleeveless turtleneck style shirt, armored with golden plates, and loose white pants, tucked into heavy grey combat boots that had black steel claw like armor on the toes.

"Ah, look at who we have here..." Suzaku sneered. "The Great Dragon of the East, and the Great Tortoise of the North." He bowed mockingly, his eyes sliding over to view Wolborg and Falborg. "And look, the two Generals, too! And of course it wouldn't be complete without my Brother and Byakko! What a lovely reunion this is turning out to be!" he mocked.

"I won't ask again, Brother, release Rei, and give us back Kai, or else!"

"Or what? If you attack me, you forget little Kitten here may get caught in the blast!"

"Genbu, use your Water Armor! Seiryuu, get that bastard away from Rei!" Susaku, all his attention on his brother, failed to notice Draciel turning into a stream of water, slipping up behind him to twirl around Rei's body. In a flash he surrounded Rei, forming an impenetrable shield around the Neko, Dragoon moving forward to send a fierce wind to blow a surprised Susaku away from Rei, enough so his talons were no longer around his throat. In a flash, Dranzer unable to stop him, Drigger dashed forward, eyes slit, fangs bared, electricity crackling around him, gathering in his claws, feeding off the tiger's anger. But he failed to notice a glinting in Susaku's eyes.

"Byakko, don't! It's a trick!" Dranzer could only stare in horror as what happened next as time seemed to slow, yet it was all over in mere moments. Drigger was about to pounce on supposed off-balance Susaku, to sink his claws deep in his neck, but suddenly, he paused, his eyes widening, blood dripping from his mouth. "You think you can beat me that easily?" Susaku leaned in to silkily whisper in the Tiger's ear. "I hate to ruin that beautiful body of yours...but you leave me no choice." A fist surrounded by black fire dislodged itself from Drigger's stomach, who would have fell to the floor if Susaku was not gripping the front of his jacket. He turned to Dranzer, smirking.

"You are so useless, Brother, you couldn't protect him then, and you can't even protect him now!" He flung a now limp Drigger to the floor, earning a low growl from Dranzer. "Even your Master can't count on you, neither for him or to protect that little kitten!" He spread his black wings wide, black fire surrounding his hands. "I may not be at full strength now, but when I am, I **will** destroy you, and I shall wear the crown that was rightfully meant for me!" He brought his hands down, sending black fire raging all around him. When it dissipated, he was gone, leaving only scorch marks on the floor and walls.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Okay, can someone please explain to me what the hell is going on?" Tyson asked, confused. They all were in the middle of the now deserted and wrecked dance floor, all trying to regroup after what happened.

"I really want to know that too...but I think we need to worry more about Rei and...uh..." Max commented, but trailed off.

"His name is Byakko, but you little ones would know him as Drigger." Dranzer said in a calm, voice, his eyes locked onto the unmoving forms in front of him. They had found a thick fur blanket, and now Drigger and Rei were lying on it. Drigger, still unconscious from the attack, had his head in Dranzer's lap, who gently cleaned his face free of blood. His eyes trailed down to the Tiger's bandaged chest and stomach, his jacket burned and stained with blood. Rei was still in a zombie-like state, his eyes still dull as he lay on his side, curled up close to Drigger, his hair gathered neatly beside him and his neck cleaned and bandaged.

"So, all I know is that Kai was acting weird, now he's gone, and Rei is a freaking' Zombie, plus, that winged guy shows up and hurts Rei, and Drigger, while saying something about Kai, and apparently now my bit beast, and everyone else's, are standing here looking a hella lot different." Even Tyson looked surprised by the acuteness of his recent statement.

"So, this is really Draciel?" Max pointed to his now human bit-beast, who merely grinned wide.

"Yes I am!"

"Cool!" He flung himself in a glomp attack on Draciel, both landing in a giggling heap. Tala rose an eyebrow at the scene.

"Well, I can see the resemblance there." Wolborg snorted, rolling his eyes.

"We all share some of our traits with the one's we've chosen."

"But if what I just saw was any indication, Wol, Drigger wasn't like Rei at _all_..."

"He is just very...protective...of Rei, is all." All eyes turned to Dranzer. "You see, Rei's parents died when he was very young, killed by a disease that nearly destroyed his whole tribe. He was brought in and raised by Lee's family, and was well taken care of physically, but he never got shown quite the same love Lee and Mariah did. Seeing him so lonely and sad so often, Byakko took it upon himself to take care of the boy. Normally he is level headed, calm, and very wise, but like the Yin-Yang, he can turn around and become very violent very easily if anyone he cares about is threatened, especially Rei." He sighed, his wings drooping as a single thought ran through his head. _"I don't know where Kai is, and I could not protect him like Kai had wanted...Maybe Susaku is right...I'm useless..." _Wolborg noticed the sad look hovering over Dranzer's face, and crouched down, placing a hand on the phoenix's shoulder.

"We _will_ get Kai back, both of our Neko's will be okay."

"Wolborg is right, my Lord! I refuse to let that pigeon claim the throne that is rightfully yours!" Falborg fell to one knee, bowing at the waist, one hand to his chest. "I will help you beat him back to Hell where he belongs!"

"We will help you as well!" Dragoon and Draciel fell to one knee, following the same movement as Falborg.

"And don't forget about us!" Tyson exclaimed, Max nodding in agreement. Even Tala and Bryan stood near the two, nodding. "I'm still not sure what is going on, but I'm not going to back down! Kai may be Satan Sourpuss but he's still my friend!" Dranzer looked all around him. Faces full of determination stared back at him, with the will to do anything to save Kai. He sucked in a breath, closing his eyes. After a few moments, his eyes opened, blazing with a new fire, a fire of revenge.

"I promise you all, I **will** make him pay for all he has done!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Pale moonlight mixed with the sinister red glow of the cursed star, casting pink light across the circular room. It was empty, except for a figure suspended in the center of the room, held up and surrounded by black thorn vines. Small drops of blood shimmered like gems in the light, formed where the thorns had pierced ghost pale skin, already beading with sweat.

"Kai, there you are!" He looked up, and his eyes widened. "We've all been looking for you!"

"Rei?" He struggled against his bonds, wanting to be nearer to the smiling, happy looking neko-jinn. But he could only stare in horror as Rei was suddenly engulfed in black flames, his pain filled screams filling his ears, his eyes only seeing the figure of the boy that now lay barely alive on the ground. Long raven hair, once the pride of it's owner, now limp and matted with the blood...Skin, once kissed by the sun and always glowing with heath, now pale and ashy, littered with bruises and cuts...but what haunted him most of all...golden amber eyes, always full of emotions, now dull and blank, full of tears...

"No..." Kai whispered. He fell back into the thorns, not feeling them press into him. He felt an odd, burning pain in his heart, more painful then any physical pain he felt. Rei's screams were all he could hear, the sight of his limp body all he could see...the burning grew stronger, and stronger...

"How _dare_ you..." He whispered, his eyes shrinking to mere pinpoints, fire flaring up in them, a snarl brewing in his throat.

"How _dare_ you play around with me...with him...like he was _yours_..." He pulled at his bonds with a sudden newfound strength, weaker vines breaking at the force, blood running down his arms as the thorns dug into him.

"You have _no_ _right to touch him_..." His heart was burning, now the feeling had spread to his back, he could feel the bones moving, something moving underneath the skin...

"_HE_. _IS_. _**MINE!**_" Kai screamed, and with loud, vicious cracking noises, two huge red wings burst from Kai's back, sending rivers of blood pouring down his back. He turned his head outside, to where the moon was almost fully covered by the star.

It had begun.

~*~*~*~*~

Well, I hope this chapter wasn't too bad, short as it is. ^^; I'm not quite happy with it, so I'd like some constructive reviews, pointing out where I need help, if help is needed :P

I wanted to make the human forms of the Bitbeasts more true to there appearance in this fic, unlike Masquerade, where I used a lot more leeway. Did I do well? I honestly think Dragoon's was the easiest for me, Draciel's being the hardest, as there isn't much I could have used to carry off to clothing ^^;

Once again, I would just like to make a shameless plug for my latest one-shot, 'Gypsy' please read and review it! :D

Please Review this story too! Reviews make me very happy and it helps me keep my love of writing!


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